Imphal/New Delhi:

The Manipur government will take “appropriate steps” to enforce a law that will end the system of hereditary chieftainship in the hills areas of the state, BJP MLA Rajkumar Imo Singh said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

The state is seeking to scrap the chieftainship system to end the rule of village chiefs, who are the sole leaders of settlements and own entire villages, and pave the way for setting up a democratic way of rural governance.

Referring to Chief Minister N Biren Singh’s statement in the assembly on Monday that the government will enforce an Act, which was passed in 1967 to abolish hereditary chieftainship, Imo Singh said the then President had also given assent to the bill in June 1967.

What remains to be done is to notify the Act in the official gazette, government sources told NDTV.

“A very important statement by the Chief Minister on the floor of the Manipur assembly that the state government will consult and take appropriate steps for the implementation of The Manipur Hill Areas (Acquisition of Chiefs’ Rights) Act, 1967. This Act was passed by the Manipur assembly on January 10, 1967 to abolish hereditary chieftainship,” Imo Singh, who is also the son-in-law of the Chief Minister, said in the post.

“However this Act has not been enforced till now, thus enabling the chieftains to continue with their rights and establish villages as per their hereditary practices. One can see the exponential growth of villages in these places,” Imo Singh said.

“Manipur is the only state in the North East where this Act isn’t implemented. Even a state like Mizoram had implemented a similar act for abolishing chieftainship way back in 1954 when it was a part of Assam. (The) need of the hour is to implement this Act at the earliest date, which we are hopeful now,” the BJP MLA said.

A very important statement by the Chief Minister on the floor of the Manipur Legislative Assembly that the State Government will consult and take appropriate steps for the implementation of The Manipur Hill Areas (Acquisition of Chiefs’ Rights) Act 1967. This Act was passed by…

— Rajkumar Imo Singh (@imosingh) March 4, 2024

The hereditary chieftainship system has faced severe criticism over its allegedly exploitative nature in modern times. The feudal system often leads to nepotism and autocracy – when the current chief dies, only his son can become the next chief. Power struggles among siblings have led to mushrooming of villages in Manipur.

The state bordering Myanmar – the junta nation that’s struggling for its own survival – is yet to see peace 10 months after violence broke out between the hill-majority Kuki-Zo tribes, who follow the chieftainship system, and the valley-majority Meiteis over serious disagreements on sharing land, resources, political representation, and affirmative action policies.

Since the clashes began, 10 Kuki-Zo MLAs have been asking the central government to carve out a “separate administration” from Manipur.

Why Act Not Enforced

On why Manipur never enforced the Act to scrap hereditary chieftainship for decades since the bill was passed by the assembly and cleared by the President, state government sources said the fault lies with successive Congress governments in the state.

“The Congress has ruled Manipur for the most part of the decades since Independence. Other parties came and went briefly, like blips on a screen. They never got the opportunity to treat the deep wounds inflicted by the Congress party,” a government source told NDTV on phone from Imphal, requesting anonymity.

“Notifying the Act in the official gazette would not have been a problem. But the past governments didn’t do it because some leaders probably benefitted from the system. And now in these violent times, any major decision would not be easy,” the source said.

After the British left, India passed the Zamindari Abolition Act, 1951, and ended the zamindari system, but in Manipur the Kuki-Zo tribes still practice it in the form of chieftainship. Even neighbouring Mizoram, where the tribes share ethnic ties with the Kuki and Chin people, had scrapped chieftainship.

Over 180 have died in the ethnic violence and thousands have been internally displaced.

Imphal/Guwahati:

Ten Naga MLAs in Manipur have demanded the appointment of a new minister to look after tribal affairs and hill matters amid the disruption caused by the ethnic violence in the state bordering troubled Myanmar.

In a letter to Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh, the Naga MLAs said the Tribal Affairs and Hills Minister Letpao Haokip has been “absent” for the past 10 months, and this portfolio is key to bringing peace in Manipur.

Mr Haokip is among the 10 Kuki-Zo MLAs who have been seeking a separate administration carved out of Manipur, a demand that for a long time Kuki-Zo insurgent groups, too, have been negotiating with the Centre.

The 10 Kuki-Zo MLAs also face criticism from their own community for supporting the ruling BJP government headed by Biren Singh, who the Kuki-Zo tribes hold responsible for the violence.

After clashes broke out between the hill-majority Kuki-Zo tribes and the valley-majority Meiteis in May 2023, Kuki-Zo civil society groups such as the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) and the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) have also joined the call for a separate administration.

This single demand has brought the insurgent groups, the 10 Kuki-Zo MLAs, and the civil society groups on the same page.

“As you are aware of the difficulties faced by the innocent citizens of Manipur due to unrest happening in our state, in this hour of crisis, we would like to appeal you to kindly look into the matter of the functioning of the Tribal Affairs and Hills Department, which has been rendered defunct due to the absence of the Minister… for the last 10 months,” the 10 Naga MLAs said in the letter to the Chief Minister.

“It is pertinent to point out that this department is becoming more crucial in this hour of crisis to look after the needs and development of tribals and hill areas of the state to bring overall peace and progress in the state,” the Naga MLAs said. “Therefore, we would like to request you to appoint a Tribal Affairs and Hills Minister in-charge to look after the affairs of tribals and hills efficiently and effectively,” they said.

The 10 Naga MLAs are Awangbow Newmai, Khashim Vashum, Loshii Dikho, N Kayisii, Leishiyo Keishing, Janghemlung Panmei, SS Olish, Ram Muivah, J Kumo Sha, and Dinganglung Gangmei.

The Kukis had fought with the Nagas in the early 90s after the Nagas accused them of encroaching on their land. Many from both tribes were killed in that conflict. The Nagas who lived in the border town Moreh eventually left the area en masse, while the Kukis, who share ethnic and familial ties with Myanmar’s Chin people, stayed on and became the dominant community.

The Naga tribes live in many hill districts of Manipur, a majority of them towards the east and northeast part of the state.

The violence over disagreements on land, resources, political representation, and affirmative action policies in Manipur has dragged on for nearly 10 months now.

Over 200 have died and thousands have been internally displaced.

Imphal/New Delhi:
A convoy of Manipur Police commandos drove into the India-Myanmar border town Moreh on Tuesday night following the killing of a senior officer by insurgents. The commandos, who were ambushed by insurgents, pressed on and reached the town at midnight.

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